The arrival of Maurice Edu increases buzz around Philadelphia Union

UPPER MERION — With 47 players wearing Philadelphia Union practice kits running through drills across two fields at YSC Sports Monday, there were plenty of potential topics of discussion.

But the presence that loomed largest involved those who were absent, who weren’t — weren’t yet, was the popular addendum — training with the club. Accompanying the prospect of those players was a buzz that will define a seminal preseason in the history of club.

One such move came to fruition, officially, Monday.

On the Union’s first day of team activities in their preseason training camp, the club officially announced the capture of American international Maurice Edu on a one-year loan with a purchase option.

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The 27-year-old Edu, who remains property of English Premier League club Stoke City and was the subject of a protracted transfer saga, comes to the Union via the allocation process and will occupy a designated player roster spot.

“As a U.S. international with experience playing against some of the best competition in the world, Maurice adds a wealth of knowledge, skill and leadership to our club while still being in his prime,” manager John Hackworth said in a club statement. “We think he will be an excellent addition to our squad and we are very excited to have him return to MLS and represent the Philadelphia Union.”

Even before Edu’s acquisition was made official Monday evening, the assumption around the Union camp was that those assembled on the field didn’t yet constitute a full team.

“We’re very excited,” Union midfielder Danny Cruz said. “You look at the things that they’ve done in the offseason — I know it took a little bit of time — but we’re excited. These young guys have come in, and sometimes you can see a little bit of a rough transition with them, but they look good. Hopefully it’s going to be a good year, we’re going to get everyone in ... obviously not everyone is here yet.”

The feeling throughout camp, which will be held at YSC this week before the club ships out to Florida, is that even without the physical presence of some of the Union’s offseason transfer splashes, the intensity remains at an extremely high level.

In addition to Edu, also not in attendance Monday was new Argentine DP Cristian Maidana. The 27-year-old midfielder is finalizing his visa, and the club is expecting him to join up later in the week.

The Union are also reportedly at an advanced stage of negotiations with 26-year-old French attacking midfielder Vincent Nogueira, who has been with Ligue 1 side Sochaux since 2007.

Whether graced by their physical presence or not, the returnees to the Union understand that the expectations have been raised this season, and they’ve embraced the challenge from the start of the preseason.

“It’s good for us,” Cruz said. “None of us are happy about the way last year ended, and we know it wasn’t good enough toward the end. And the new guys that come in are here to push the guys that have been here, and the guys that didn’t play much last year are here to push the guys that did for a spot. It’s a new year, and we’ve got to step up.”

What the Union are supplementing in the transfer market is a strong nucleus that collectively endured growing pains a season ago in a rebuilding campaign where the club challenged for a playoff berth well into the fall.

Though many of the players are in the early 20s, they bring an outsized level of experience in MLS. That maturity makes the transition to what is being billed as a new era in Union history easier on the coaching staff.

“They’re professionals. They’re smart. They get it,” Hackworth said. “They know that when we end the season the way we did where we were all disappointed, that the bar is going to be raised. But again, if I go back to those core guys, guys that were here last year, guys that have been here for two, three, or four years, guys that have this as their fifth preseason, they understand that, and that makes this whole preseason easier.

“I have not really talked to them about, ‘hey, we’re bringing in new guys.’ They know, and they knew at the end of the year in exit interviews and in our final team meetings that the bar was going to be raised and the expectations were going to be raised. Internally, we all know that there is a long-term plan here, and the guys understand that, and certainly the guys that are here have a good understanding of that.”

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Though the club is anxious to finalize several moves in the pipeline, Hackworth was reticent to close the book on one.

On the loan move of defender and former captain Carlos Valdes to Argentine club San Lorenzo, Hackworth said “it’s still kind of out there from the last thing I heard.” The club said last Friday that they had agreed in principle to a deal to send the Colombian World Cup hopeful to San Lorenzo, but the deal was pending MLS approval.

San Lorenzo announced the move last Friday via social media, and presented Valdes with a jersey Saturday.

Valdes spent last season on loan with Colombian club Santa Fe. It’s thought that his World Cup hopes hinge on a move to a South American club, and the Union have sought to accommodate that wish, however frustrating the process has been.

“In any case, it’s a tough business when you’re dealing with some clubs and some people who maybe are not as ethical as some others,” is all Hackworth wanted to say on the matter.

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Notes: Every player in attendance participated in drills and some scrimmaging Monday. The only nagging injury concern entering camp was Sebastien Le Toux’s case of plantar fasciitis that flared up in the fall. Le Toux said that the problem was alleviated by an offseason of rest “on the couch.” ... Swelling the numbers at practice were a number of trialists, allowing the club a full complement for multiple scrimmages simultaneously. Among the trialists is one name that will be familiar to Union fans: Fred. The Brazilian attacking midfielder who made 25 MLS appearances for the Union in 2010, scoring four goals, is out of contract after a stint with Melbourne Heart in Australia’s A-League. Fred played five seasons in MLS, the other four with D.C. United.